The Last Marauder
by EmeraldLily501
Summary: The last Marauder remembers his whole tragic life from the night he was bitten to the death of his last remaining friend and wants to end it. But something stops his as he realises that being needed can change everything.


The Last Marauder-  
  
A/N-Hey I'm in the middle of the chapter for "It's Funny What Love Does to Us" and have already started a new story which the first chapter is comin up, but this idea popped into my head a few minutes ago and I rushed to my computer to write it! Hope ya like it!! Oh by the way, there is something that needs to be described because I jus couldn't break right in the middle of the story to explain it, but Sirius was not accused of being the secret keeper at first, it wasn't until a few days after October 31 that Sirius realized Peter had betrayed the Potters and everything about their death was a mystery until Sirius hunted Peter down and all that crap occurred. Keep that in mind as you read. Now on with the story.  
  
Full Summary- A short story. Remus Lupin, the last remaining Marauder (Peter died years ago, that fateful night when he turned the Potters in), seems to be all alone in the world. He's a dirt poor Werewolf without a job and no place to go. All his friends have died and he has no reason to live anymore. As he sits under the old Beech tree where too many memories come to light, he thinks about more than he should.  
  
The normal velvet black sky dotted with the twinkling lights of the stars was glazed over with a dark swirl of clouds, and even though you couldn't make out their color, Remus knew that they matched the color of his heart, black and empty. He hadn't shed a single tear for his beloved friend and only remaining mate, but his heart continued to scream.  
  
He sighed and stared up at the lonely sky, thinking hard about his life. He had never truly been happy except for when he was with his friends, and now they were gone. As a young child, his mother and father never trusted him with his disability and he was alone. He could remember crying up in his room night after night. The memories were so vivid and scarred his so deeply that he could almost taste the salt on his lips from all those years ago. But it was too late to cry about that now. That was long ago, before he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His eyelids fluttered closed as he sighed again, tilting his head away from the bright light of the moon that shone thru his eyelids. More memories flashed through his mind quicker than he could count, until one of the train ride on his first day of school, when two handsome boys ran into the room panting. Stopped his thoughts. One of the boys, the one with the messy black hair and glasses, stood up from the door he was leaning on and stuck out his hand.  
  
"James Potter. This is Sirius Black. Who might you be?" he asked. Remus had heard of the name Potter before, they were a very rich pureblood family with more than a famous name behind them. His mother and father were very powerful Witches and Wizards. Black also seemed slightly familiar to Remus, but he couldn't put a finger on it. He smiled.  
  
"Remus Lupin. Pleased to meet you." He said. James and Sirius burst out laughing and Remus turned bright red, looking at them through confused eyes.  
  
"The three of us are going to make great friends, I can just see it." The boy introduced as Sirius replied after he caught his breath. Just then, a small pink-faced boy opened the door timidly and poked his head inside. Sirius grabbed him around the neck and pulled him in. He squeaked in surprise and didn't relax until he spotted James. As Remus discovered later, James had saved Peter from some boy who was teasing his just a few seconds before they met up with Remus. "Correction," Sirius said "The four of us."  
  
Remus opened his eyes again as a rain drop splattered onto his nose. The memories were swirling again. He seemed to have a mental collage of all of the Marauders great times together. From teasing Severus Snape to the point of disaster, to James falling in love with a certain lucky redhead, Remus's years between the ages of 11 and 17 had been his first and only happy years of his life. After school, everything went downhill.  
  
Fire burned in front of Remus's eyes, dancing and teasing him. He sank to his knees and sobbed. His first friend ever had died at this very spot. Then his vision clicked to another memory, the day of Lily and James Potter's funeral.  
  
Sirius was on the ground. Remus walked up to the grave where he was sitting. He couldn't see Sirius's face and Sirius obviously couldn't hear him approach, as he stayed facing the grave site. It was a windy day and the grass was rippling below Remus. He kneeled down next to Sirius, who kept his face down. He started to talk, very slowly and he seemed to be choking.  
  
"How could this happen? How did he find them? Nothings right anymore. The Marauders are gone, Remus, gone. We are destroyed." Remus kneeled in silence as Sirius said this, and after a few moments of silence, Sirius lifted his face and looked into Remus's eyes. Now Sirius had always been a man of dignity and said he wouldn't cry to save his life. But as he looked up at Remus, he could see that tears were falling down his face. It seems even the most dignified of men need to cry sometimes.  
  
Once again, Remus had drifted off into another time. The tears seemed to actually be coming to his eyes this time, but he resisted the urge. The rain was falling hard now, all around him. He could hear the droplets hitting the surface of the lake a few feet from him. Remus started to become wet and cold, but he ignored it. Mist was starting to rise around him and another memory crowded his brain.  
  
Remus was alone inside a small apartment on the outskirts of London. It wasn't the nicest place to be. The muggles around him were just as poor, if not poorer, than Remus himself and the building was falling apart. Remus sat on the grimy couch that had been left in the apartment from the owners before him. It was a nasty shade of olive green, but you could only see the color in certain places, as the rest had either been torn off to reveal the gray fluff of the couch or the color had faded completely. Rain lashed against the walls and flew in through the window behind his head that would never close all the way. It creaked as the wind flew by. Remus was only about 23 years old and he hadn't slept in days. His hair was a mess as he stared down at the paper in his hand. He had been rejected from 7 jobs this week alone and he couldn't find anywhere else to work. He was all alone, James, Lily, and Peter dead, and Sirius was in jail. Damn that bastard, he had killed all 3 of the friends and destroyed the Marauders. And to think Remus felt sorry for him when he was crying at the Potters grave. What an act. Remus growled and tore the paper he was looking at in half. His life was ruined, he couldn't get a job, he lost all of his dearest friends, and nobody cared. He was hopelessly alone and nobody was around to care.  
  
The rain was falling hard now and thunder could be heard in the distance. Remus turned onto his side and stared into the moon that he was trying to hide from since that night when he was bitten. But the marauders had saved him from that and accompanied him throughout the night. James, Peter and Sirius. Sirius. that name stirred the most recent and most horrible memory of them all.  
  
"Sirius NO!" Harry rushed over to the curtain. Remus held him back. Sirius was gone. The only other Marauder was gone. Peter had left years ago, when he betrayed the Potters. Remus stared at the curtain thinking the same thing Harry was, that Sirius was on the other side of the veil. But he was older and smarter and knew that Sirius was not there and he could never come back. Then another feeling came to him. It wasn't sorrow or even any form of grief, it was anger. Anger at Peter, anger at Voldemort, anger at Sirius for leaving him like that. Anger at everything and everyone who dared to interfere with his life, be it good or bad. He let Harry go as he rushed after Bellatrix, and he didn't even bother to call him back. He stared at the veil and stood up. He had to continue fighting, even if in his heart he wanted to leave like everyone else had.  
  
The normal time came back to Remus as the memory faded away, but the feeling didn't. Remus looked up into the sky and hated it. He saw the branches swaying peacefully over his head and hated it. He even hated the rippling water at his feet. Once again, he wanted to leave the world, but this time, he found no reason to stay. He made his decision right then and there. He stood up and walked over to the lake that he hated so much. He took a deep breath and put his toe into the water. It was freezing cold. A shiver ran up his spine that he couldn't help but stop as he stepped into the lake once more. He turned his wind-swept head back towards the castle he once loved, and could barely see the outline of it. He sighed and pushed back the memories that tried to force their way into his head. He was about to turn back around and dive in when he spotted another, more vivid outline. It was of a young boy. He was walking across the grass, fighting with the wind. His figure started to come into view as he walked closer. It was Harry.  
  
Remus gasped as he came closer. Harry's eyes were hurt and confused. Remus stepped out of the water. Just as he was about to say something, Harry spoke up.  
  
"What are you doing out here, Lupin?" he asked. He looked like he was ready to cry. Remus stared at him, puzzled, for a moment. Memories rushed back to him and he didn't fight to keep them away. The time that Remus was teaching Harry how to make the patronus, Harry discovering who Remus really was, Harry reuniting with Sirius, that glint that always shown in Harry's emerald orbs. Then one memory came to him that struck him, hard. Harry, staring through tear stained eyes at the veil when Sirius was gone. Remus mentally slapped himself. How could he think of leaving when the whole reason for him to live stood right in front of him? What would Harry do if he left? The only person he could turn to would be Dumbledore, who couldn't always be there for him, or his Aunt and Uncle, who would probably beat him if he mentioned anything about needing help. Tears sprang to his eyes as he thought about what a boy his age had to go through, when his life was as terrible, and if not, less, as his and he was 2 times his age. A smile crept onto his lips.  
  
"Nothing, Harry, nothing. I was just taking a walk. Lets go inside and get a nice cup of hot cocoa from the kitchens." Harry smiled and allowed Lupin to put his arm around his shoulder and guide him back up towards the castle. The ground was slippery against Lupins bare feet, but he walked steadily back with Harry in his arms. Maybe all the Marauders were gone, but Harry was in even greater need of his help, and being needed was the only thing that could keep Remus going. He may be last of the Marauders, but he was going to continue his life, and live strong. It's what the rest of them would want him to do.  
  
A/N- So what did you think? I tried to make it kinda sad in places, but I have no clue if I'm any good at that. Review please! Remember, I accept flames but I think they are completely childish, so only do it if you feel like makin me laugh. Thanx! I'm out.  
  
**Emerald**  
  
Oh and by the way, I'm goin to start updating this a lot by putting up thanx to my reviewers! Not only do I have stuff to say to them, but the more I update it, the closer it gets to the front of the list, which means more people will read it! Yay! Ok on with the thanx.  
  
Miste- Glad you liked it! Hope your beta doesn't hurt you TOO much. Haha  
  
Freakyfairy- Thank you! I was reading your BIO and we have a lot in common! And we both read "promises Unbroken".sorry jus thought that was funny.haha 


End file.
